


Worth

by LizzieTheRose



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Gen, Implied Crush, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 12:09:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17324729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizzieTheRose/pseuds/LizzieTheRose
Summary: Prompto gets hurt on a hunt and Noctis doesn't want to continue without him, but sometimes, you can't get what you want.





	Worth

Do you know that sense of floating you get sometimes when you're half asleep and vaguely dreaming of flying? That was the feeling Prompto was under as his mind relived the last thing it could recall before everything went black. There's was this loud, monstrous screeching ringing through his eardrums as he felt rough skin and pointed talons dig into his torso with an almost crushing pressure. One whoosh of magic and grotesque squelching noise later and that sense of floating turned into a terrifying sense of falling. The last thing he remembered hearing was his best friend's voice calling his name.

Prompto jerked awake with a gasp, adrenaline dulling the pain for the moment as he took heavy breaths. Blue eyes glanced around to gain his bearings and all he really saw with warmly lit white walls. He glanced over at the only other source of light in the room, the cracked door. He could hear whispers, rough in tone and heated. Slowly, he pulled himself out of the bed to only get pulled back by the monitor he was hooked up to. With a sigh, he shifted to the other side of the bed and stood as his hand wrapped around the chilled metal pole of the monitor to pull it along with him. Prompto shuffled to the door and peeked through to see who was outside.

He could clearly see Noctis as he was facing the door and Gladio was leaning on the wall beside, arms crossed, so half of him could been seen. Ignis however was facing away from the door, but the blond distinctly knew that stance.

That was the stance the older man took when he was more than done with a situation: arms crossed, body shifted to one leg, head tilted slightly down. Prompto was curious and also scared of seeing what expression accompanied it. Annoyed, angry, sad? He didn't like any result in all honesty. Ignis was honestly the scariest out of the three in his opinion.

Noctis clearly looked upset, but trying to keep himself from bursting out in a fit of anger. Prompto had only ever seen this expression on his friend's face one other time, a few weeks ago when everything went to shit. The expression made Prompto's heart squeeze in agony and an overwhelming need to pull his best friend into a hug wash over him. Noctis didn't deserve to look so hurt, so broken...

Glancing over to Gladiolus, Prompto could tell that he didn't seem happy, but he didn't seem outrageously upset over whatever they were discussing unlike the other two. Honestly, the shield seemed to just be along for the ride and not much else other than a comment here and there.

“Noct, the doctor said he is in no condition to continue on our journey with us. No amount of potions will make it better and we do not have the time to wait on him to recover.” Ignis said sternly, “We have to leave him behind and continue on our way to Altissia. The doctor said that he can get transported to Cape Caem after he recovers more and Monica said she'd bring Iris and Talcott back here to Lestallum to visit Prompto in the meantime, so he wouldn't get lonely.”

“Like I give a damn about all that! Prompto worked so hard to get here, y'know. I don't want his efforts to be in vain because I was too stupid to watch his back!” the prince argued, gritting his teeth.

“Injuries in combat happen frequently. You can't let that hold you back from doing what you have to do.” Gladio offered.

“But I'm suppose to let it hold him back? He needed this to prove to himself that he was worth something and I went and messed that up for him!”

“And you do not think the opinion of his best friend that he is worth something whether he can fight or not is superior to those false, toxic thoughts of his?” Ignis sighed, seeming to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“Specs, I don't think you get how your own head can fuck with you to the point you can't listen to others' opinions.”

“I have studied such manners before when you started going to th-”

“But you haven't experienced it for yourself!” Noctis interrupted, raising his voice unintentionally which made Prompto finch. The prince seemed to realize this for himself and took a calming breath before speaking in a lower volume. “Reading a book isn't the same thing as experiencing it for yourself, Iggy...”

The adviser's stance seemed to relax a bit as he let out another sigh. “You have a point, Noct. There still isn't anything we can do for him however. He needs time to heal and we don't have the time to give him. He is a valuable asset to our team with his range and speed and that's why I think it's wiser for us to leave him here, so when we return and he's recovered, we can fight alongside each other again.”

“By then, everything will be over.” Noctis argued, “Once we leave Cape Caem, we either come back with the win or we're as good as dead.” That last part had Prompto flinching once again.

“You don't know there will be no more problems to arise after we defeat the Empire, Noct. The Empire is our main problem at the moment.”

“But helping us beat those fuckers will be more than enough proof for himself to give himself the benefit of the doubt and believe he's worth something.”

“My hands are tied. There is nothing we can do about this.”

“Specs, we can't just-”

“We have no choice.”

The look on Noctis' face was breaking Prompto's heart little by little, like a puppy that was kicked in the face. He had to make this better for his friend somehow. He would be okay here. He would... Right? He had to be okay. For Noctis' sake...

Slowly, he opened the door to reveal himself to his friends. Prompto had to take a moment before he could bear looking directly at their faces, but regretted it because the looks of concern directed at him cracked his heart even more. Without hesitating, his eyes dropped once again, finding the hospital tiling more interesting than anything.

It took him a minute to find his voice, but when he did, he made an attempt to make it sound stronger than he felt under his friend's worried gazes. “Guys, I'm okay. I'll be okay. You don't need to wait for me. People's lives are at stake and I don't want anyone else getting hurt just because of my selfishness. I... I-I made it this far and that was so Godsdamn further than I ever thought I could go.” He paused before finally looking up at the trio again, trying his best to smile for them. “I have you guys to thank for helping me get here. Li-like Iggy said, when you come back and I'm better, we can fight by each other again. It's not the end of the world because I can't be by your side for a little bit. I'll be even stronger when you get back, so this doesn't happen again.”

There was a long silence before Noctis slowly took a step forward,. His hand reached out to the blond, but didn't quite make it fully. “Prompto... I-it's not your fault. I wasn't-”

Prompto shook his head and said, “I didn't say it was my fault, but I don't blame you either, Noct. Injuries happen just like Gladio said. You can't let it hold you back. I'm... Trying not to let it hold me back, so follow me and let's push pass this together, okay? Even if I have to stay here.”

“I...” Noctis said as his eyes clearly showed Prompto the conflict dwelling within. That's one thing he liked about the prince. As stoic as his face was, the blond could always reliably read his true feelings through those deep blue eyes of his.

Prompto's free hand went out to meet his best friend's outstretched one, fingers tangling together as he kept smiling warmly at him. “No matter what happens, I'll always be ever at your side, Noct. Please... Keep moving forward. Don't let the Empire hurt anyone else. Do it for me, alright?”

There was another bit of silence before there was any sort of response. “... You'll be okay?” Noctis asked.

“I'm okay.” Prompto assured. All he remembered after that was a sudden, unbearable pain all around his body and everything going black once again.

* * *

 

Thankfully, there was no feeling of floating and then falling or screeching and yelling to wake him up this time. It was a simple, gentle opening of his eyes to that same warmly lit hospital room. However, the only difference this time being three worried men either sitting or standing in different parts of the room and the door being closed.

Noctis was the first to notice his friend's awakening as he sat up in the chair he was slouching in by his bedside and leaned slightly forward. “Gods, Prom, you scared the shit out of me.” he said.

“You really shouldn't have left your bed if you were in so much pain that you passed out, Prompto.” Ignis said, uncrossing his legs and sitting more upright in his seat in the corner of the room.

“I... Didn't really notice I was in pain honestly.” Prompto replied honestly, “I guess the adrenaline from... I guess it was a dream, but whatever it was, the adrenaline from it made me ignore it for a bit.”

“You trying to take my job?” Gladio said with a small smirk, “You'll have to fight me for it.”

Prompto glanced at the shield before a smile crossed his face and he laughed lightly. “Nah, I'm good, big guy. You can keep your job.”

Noctis and Ignis seemed to relaxed as the air in the room became a little less tense with the banter. The prince leaned back in his seat. Meanwhile, the adviser's shoulders became less rigid as he crossed his legs the other way from the way they were before.

Blue eyes landed on Noctis before Prompto asked him, “How long was I out?”

“I'm not sure... An hour maybe?”

Prompto nodded slowly in response, shifting to sit up better in his bed. After a moment of silence, he finally got a question that had been on his mind out into the air. “What... Happened exactly?”

The expressions he got seemed confused at first, but slowly, all three of the men realized what the blond was asking specifically about.

“What do you remember last from the incident?” Ignis asked, fixing his glasses.

“All I remember is like... Bird screeching and the feeling of claws in my stomach and falling.” Prompto explained.

The adviser nodded, shifting his posture in his chair to be more comfortable. “Well, we had accepted a hunt on the Rock of Ravatogh for this beast called the Zu. It took about a day's hike to get to the peak where the creature was said to be located.” he started.

Prompto hummed in thought before nodding. “Yeah, I remember all that.” he said, “That had to honestly be the worst walk in my life.”

“Running on flat lands doesn't train you for walking up a mountain like that.” Gladio pointed out.

“Anyway,” Ignis interjected, “We made camp for the night outside the area the creature supposedly called home. Morning comes and we're proceeding down into a large open area in the mountain. Before were able to climb down all the way, we find the Zu's nest. There was a noise that we couldn't identify and you started to panic. Suddenly, you scream about a 'giant bird' and push Noct down, only for you to be grabbed by the Zu's talons and taken into the sky.”

“And then, princess over here jumped back up and warped after you two before Iggy and I could blink.” Gladio butted in, “That's gotta be the longest I've seen him thrown his sword before because you were pretty high up there with that thing.”

“You'll probably never gonna see me do that again because that threw my arm out.” Noctis huffed, arms crossed, “Hurt like hell.” However, he looked over at his best friend and smiled. “I don't regret it though. I'd do it again if it came to it.”

“But you said we'd never see it again.” Prompto replied, furrowing his brows.

“ _Probably._ ” Noctis corrected, “If it means saving you again, I'd throw out both my arms.”

The blond sighed, frowning as he laid back. “I might as well have the 'princess' nickname at this rate if you guys have to save me all the time...” he mumbled.

“Hey, stop that.” the prince frowned back, “You're capable in a fight. You know how to survive. You're a _Crownsguard_ for Ramuh's sake.”

“Apparently, I don't know how to survive well if I freak out and get caught by a stupid bird.”

“Dude, if you didn't, _I'd_ be the one fucked up and in the hospital. You still did your job and protected me.”

“I could have done better.”

Gladio huffed and said, “I think you did the best you could and that's all we can ask of you. I for one am proud that you protected Noct despite everything.”

Blue eyes blinked slowly as the praise settled onto the photographer's ears.

Ignis gave a small cough and added, “I am proud of you as well, Prompto. You bring more to the table than you think and I always appreciate that.”

A warmth built itself inside Prompto's chest as he couldn't help, but smile. His face shining brightly just like it usually did. Ignis' stoic face had a small grin itself while Gladio didn't seem as tense and ready to deck someone. Noctis partially mimicked the brightness in Prompto's expression in his own tiny way through a small twinkle in his eyes.

“Thank you.” the blond said softly, “Thank you for giving me this chance to be with you guys.”

“Thank you for being here by my side, Prom.” Noctis said, “I don't think I could have dealt with the things I've been through without you.”

Prompto nodded before backtracking a bit. “What happened after the Zu caught me?” he asked.

“Noct chopped its damn foot off.” Gladio said, smirking as if it was the coolest thing ever.

Ignis rolled his eyes and continued on with the story, “Yes, he did cut the creature's foot off and you fell to the ground.”

“I... Tried to catch you, but I didn't get to you in time.” Noctis said, looking apologetic.

“You didn't land straight on the ground. The Zu's foot gave you a tiny bit of padding to keep you from that fate.” Ignis informed, “After that, I had Noctis and Gladio take care of the beast while I made sure you were stable. I called for help and some hunters made the trek up to help us get you down the mountain as soon as possible.”

“And now, we're here.” Gladio finished.

“I see.” Prompto mumbled, “Well, we're all okay in the end at least. I'm glad for that.” He beamed at the others before looking to Noctis. “When are you guys going to head out?” The look in Noctis' eyes told Prompto that he really didn't want to consider leaving to which he sighed and went on, “I'll be fine, Noct. You need to go stop the Empire.”

“I don't want to do it without my best friend.” the prince admittedly softly.

Prompto huffed a chuckle before saying, “What did I tell you? I'll be ever at your side whether it's physically or not. I may not be able to fight with you, but I'll always be cheering you on, dude.”

Noctis stared at the blond for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I know. I guess I just can't stand the thought of being away from my best friend for a while.”

A smile crept up on Prompto's face as he proceeded to tease the prince with, “Aw, you sure you don't have a crush on me?”

There was this look in the other's eyes that for once he couldn't read clearly. Noctis shrugged and replied with, “If you're sure you'll be fine here, then we should get going. After all, I wouldn't want the Empire to hurt any more people when my best friend asked me to stop their shit.”

Prompto nodded. “Yeah, that'd be kind of a dick move. Get out there and save lives, dude.” Noctis held out his fist to Prompto to which the fist bump was reciprocated without hesitation. “Don't forget to text me about how amazing Altissia looks. You gotta get pictures of it in my place or our friendship is over.”

Noctis chuckled and said, “I won't let you down, Prom.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I wrote this for a zine application and hope it's decent. asdfghjkl; Anyway, constructive criticism is appreciated. Wish me luck for getting in!!


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